Woods Doesn't Master Spyglass, But Survives

Published 4:00 am, Friday, January 31, 1997

1997-01-31 04:00:00 PDT Pebble Beach -- TIGER WOODS slogged through the slop, tried not to flinch at the clatter of camera shutters, and slapped together a 70 at Spyglass Hill in the AT&T Pro-Am yesterday.

Or, in other words, Woods drew the biggest crowds, hit the longest drives, generally upstaged the first day of the tournament, and didn't play all that well. Just another day on the new job.

If nothing else, we have now conclusively proved that Tiger is not so good that he can make anything look easy. This looked hard, and it was. Escaping with a sub-par round was great golf. Most everyone else -- struggling foursome member Bryant Gumbel, for example -- would have settled for finishing without having one of his shoes sucked off in the quagmire.

"This is not easy out here," Woods said after his round. "Granted, we are playing lift, clean and cheat, but even so."

It never looks easy there. You don't play Spyglass, you let it run its course, like the flu. This is a series of long, long tree-lined fairways concluding in elevated greens protected by yawning bunkers. Throw in the fact that the soggy ground allowed almost no roll, and that the soaked greens were chopped up like tree bark. Now, is everyone having fun?

It may have not been much fun to play, but under these conditions, Spyglass was a great course to have played.

Everyone who staggered off the 18th green could take some comfort from knowing that at least they didn't have to see it any more this year.

"I am ecstatic to play this one first," said Woods, who is eager to move on to Poppy Hills today.

And speaking of moving on, you have to think that playing partner Steve Stricker has seen about enough Tiger-mania for a while. Stricker, a perfectly respectable pro with two tour victories, was stuck with the "Who's he?" role yesterday. When you play in a foursome of Woods, Kevin Costner and Gumbel, you have to get used to the gallery constantly moving on every shot as they either jockey for a better view of the stars or duck out of the way of one of Gumbel's shots.

"Please back up," the recently retired Today show host told the gallery at one point, "I'm on a fixed income and I can't afford to pay anyone."

STILL LEARNING

To be honest, it looks as if Woods is still learning to deal with the swarms as well. He admitted that his famous focus faltered at times.

"There were a lot of non-golfers out there," said Woods. "There were a lot of cameras clicking. It cost me a three-putt on one hole. I was about to take my last look and some cameraman gets up and moves. I couldn't get my focus back."

If yesterday was any indication, the Tiger-Costner circus is just going to build and build. Fans were lined up in waves behind the greens, even at 8:45 on a Thursday morning. By the time Team Tiger reaches Pebble Beach tomorrow, the only available seating may be on the rocks peeking out of Stillwater Cove.

Costner certainly held up his end of the pairing. After the front nine, when he had helped the team four shots, Costner was taking endless practice swings, just like the pros, and raving about how he was playing the best golf of his life -- for a while. And then what happened?

"Then I did what everybody else in America does," he said, "I said, 'Hey, I'm playing really well,' and fell apart.' "

Meanwhile, fans of cosmic irony only had to look to Costner's caddy, Brian Hull. Less than a year ago, Hull, a USC senior, and Woods were locked in a duel for the Pac-10 golf title. Now his old buddy Tiger is the toast of the tour and Hull is just happy to be on the course, packing a bag, at least for now.

"It is kind of different to see him," said Woods. "He and I are great friends, but I've moved on from college."

That's one way of putting it. Asked how many yards he gave up to Tiger off the tee, Hull said, "Way too many." Everyone did on the 14th, when Woods flew a 70-foot Monterey Pine on the corner and watched his ball cut the corner and stop some 361 yards away. Not bad, since spectators said it only rolled about 10 feet.

THE GREAT SHOT

But for the real golf connoisseur, there was one shot that made the whole 18-hole trek worthwhile. Behind a tree on the eighth hole, with 180 yards to the green, Woods needed to hit a hook that would curve some 40 yards left -- and he had the ball resting on a downslope below his feet. Which, if you don't know your golf physics, means that that ball is most likely to turn right, not left.

"I don't know about this," Costner said to Hull.

"You just watch," Hull said. "I guarantee he's on the green."

He was, 10 feet from the flag. Was that any good?

"Only one of the best I've ever seen," said Woods' caddy, Mike (Fluff) Cowan.

And wait until tomorrow on Poppy Hills.

"If you are striking the ball well at Poppy," Woods said, "you are going to have lots of birdie putts."

All this and a batch of birdies too? Can we stand the excitement?

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